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Offline Kat Kid

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:frown:
« on: October 24, 2014, 11:21:27 AM »


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Offline ChiComCat

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2014, 11:32:58 AM »
HEY LOOK - I received an email from my friend.  At first I thought it was spam because it is full of so much garbage

Quote
By any measure, the Big 12 had a tremendous season in 2013-14. The conference sent seven of its 10 teams to the NCAA tournament, with each receiving a No. 9 seed or better. There was a case for the conference being the best in the country from top to second-to-the-bottom. (Sorry, TCU.) While the overall talent level in the league may be down slightly this season, the Big 12 still figures to do well on Selection Sunday. There will be plenty of good, at-large bid-quality teams in the league.

History says that one of the easiest tasks during conference preview time has been to predict the Big 12 champ, where Kansas has won at least a share of the conference regular-season title every season since 2004-05. Just like last season, there's a viable contrarian approach here, but once again it's difficult to pick against the Jayhawks.

It's true that Kansas has to replace the first and third picks in the 2014 NBA draft. But then, it's worth considering that Bill Self brings in 6-foot-7 Kelly Oubre and 6-8 Cliff Alexander, who are currently listed fifth and seventh, respectively, on Chad Ford's latest 2015 Big Board. And while it's also true that the Jayhawks don't return the "alpha dog" that observers covet, in Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr., Kansas has a couple of guys that are capable of creating their own shots, even if they may not become high-volume scorers.

The biggest weakness for the Jayhawks is the lack of an elite point guard, and that's a good reason to have reservations about them being a top-5 team nationally. But KU has enough skill at the other four spots on the floor to be considered the league favorite again.

2014-15 All-Big 12 team
Position    Name    Team    Year
Forward    Cliff Alexander    Kansas    Fr.
Forward    Georges Niang    Iowa State    Jr.
Forward    Perry Ellis    Kansas    Jr.
Guard    Buddy Hield    Oklahoma    Jr.
Guard    Marcus Foster    Kansas State    Soph.

It's worth remembering that during the Jayhawks' decade atop the Big 12 standings, they've led the conference in defensive efficiency eight times. Along those lines, Alexander is considered an above-average rim protector and Oubre is expected to more than hold his own defensively. Arkansas transfer Hunter Mickelson, who was fifth in the country in block percentage as a freshman, is also eligible this season. Kansas' defense figures to suffocate the conference.

The most likely team to challenge the Jayhawks is Texas, one of the bigger surprises in college hoops last season. A team that was loaded with mostly unheralded freshmen and sophomores, the Longhorns weren't expected to get to the NCAA tournament. But then the best-case scenario unfolded for Texas fans. Freshman Isaiah Taylor was able to play point guard at a Big 12 level. Javan Felix evolved into a competent shooting guard. Jonathan Holmes took on a much larger role in the offense while seeing his efficiency jump. And Cameron Ridley's game expanded greatly while his waistline shrank.

The good vibes continued during the offseason, as everyone who could come back did. And that's a lot of people, because Texas didn't have a single senior on scholarship last season. The Longhorns also bring in 6-11 Myles Turner, the second-ranked prospect in the ESPN 100. A year ago, we were wondering if Rick Barnes would still be at Texas. Now it's fair to wonder just how deep the Longhorns can go in the NCAA tournament. The main concern is on the offensive end. In Big 12 play, UT ranked seventh in 2-point percentage, dead last in 3-point percentage and seventh in turnover percentage. The shooting will have to improve for the Longhorns to challenge Kansas, but given the roster continuity, improvement should be expected.

Oklahoma benefited from improved 3-point shooting last season, ranking 46th in the land in 3-point percentage after finishing 241st two seasons ago. Wisely, the Sooners leveraged their new-found perimeter shooting prowess with a healthy increase in attempts, jumping from 306th to 75th in the proportion of their shots taken from beyond the arc. Not surprisingly, their offense functioned as one of the best in the country and ranked second behind Kansas by scoring 1.12 points per possession during Big 12 play. Lon Kruger will be depending on his three-guard combination of Jordan Woodard, Isaiah Cousins and Buddy Hield to continue to pile up points. With another offseason under its belt, the threesome is in line to earn another high seed in the NCAA tournament.

UNLV transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones joins Iowa State for his senior season, and the shooting guard could lead the team in scoring. Dejean-Jones has proven he can get his shot off against high-level defenses while contributing a decent assist rate when he's not shooting. Iowa State also adds a key reserve in Northern Illinois transfer Abdel Nader, who is the kind of player that Fred Hoiberg covets in that he's nearly position-agnostic. At 6-7, he can do a little bit of everything, and Nadel led the entire nation in usage rate as a sophomore two seasons ago. Most importantly, Iowa State's master of versatility, 6-8 Georges Niang, returns for his junior season and should be in the running for Big 12 player of the year. As usual, the Cyclones' fast-paced offense will provide matchup problems and be difficult to stop.

Baylor has to deal with the departure of a couple of prolific front line players in Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin. Assuming he can curtail his alarming foul rate, the bulky Rico Gathers will pick up a bunch of the available minutes. In the process, he'll turn incredible rebounding rates (he's been in the nation's top 10 of offensive rebounding percentage the past two seasons) into per-game numbers that will get the nation's attention. Despite being just a 46 percent shooter, Gathers is a productive offensive player due to all of the second chances he generates along with a low turnover rate. The Bears may not have the level of talent we've seen in the past, but they won't be short on experience. Scott Drew could start two seniors and two juniors.

  • EnlargeMarcus Foster

Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY SportsMarcus Foster played above expectations last season, and should blossom in 2014-15.

Just two freshmen in the land took a higher percentage of their team's shots than Kansas State's Marcus Foster. Foster was a revelation for oscar Weber as a three-star recruit from a class that didn't get much acclaim. The shooting guard made 45 percent of his 2s and 40 percent of his 3s, and showed impressive efficiency given his large role in the offense. Furthermore, Foster finished strong with impressive performances in both the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. The fact is, though, that the Wildcat offense struggled too often last season. It ranked 129th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and eighth in Big 12 conference play. Undersized center Thomas Gipson hit a career-high 56 percent of his field goals and 70 percent of his free throws last season while providing acceptable rebounding numbers given that he's only 6-7. He'll be counted upon to provide similar production as a senior.

Considering we're speaking of the 10th-ranked recruit in the ESPN 100 class of 2011, it seems unusual to wonder if Oklahoma State will finally be Le'Bryan Nash's team in his senior season. As a freshman, Nash used a healthy 29 percent of the Cowboys' possessions, but over his next two seasons his usage dropped as he played more of a complementary role in a Marcus Smart-led offense. The departure of Smart and Markel Brown likely means Nash will be the go-to guy again. That's especially true when we consider that Smart's replacement at point guard -- whether it's LSU transfer Anthony Hickey or junior college transfer Jeff Newberry -- will be much more of a game manager than Smart. If Nash can pull off the transition to being an efficient high-usage scorer, the Cowboys will have a shot at getting back to the NCAA tournament.

Roster turnover is the name of the game for West Virginia, but at least the Mountaineers will have an experienced point guard in Juwan Staten, who was named to the All-Big 12 first team last season. Staten's game improved substantially as a junior, as Bob Huggins employed more of an up-tempo system designed to play to the point guard's strengths. The Mountaineers' struggles last season were primarily on the defensive end, where they managed to keep just two conference opponents below a point per possession. Expect a larger role for 6-9 sophomore Brandon Watkins who showed flashes of being an excellent shot-blocker and rebounder in his limited minutes as a freshman.

Tubby Smith will be putting on his rebuilding hat this season. Texas Tech will have to replace forward Jaye Crockett who played 125 games on the front line during his four-year career. The Red Raiders also lost two skilled offensive players in shooting guard Dusty Hannahs and power forward Jordan Tolbert, both of whom transferred out of the program. Thus, a lot of minutes are up for grabs among many unproven players. Robert Turner should continue to start at point guard and Toddrick Gotcher will get most of the off-guard duties. But neither showed an ability to hit perimeter shots against quality competition. This could mean plenty of playing time for freshman wing Justin Gray, a three-star recruit who has some scoring ability.

TCU has lost 36 of its 38 games against conference foes since joining the Big 12, so the bar in Fort Worth is low in 2014-15. A full season of 6-9 senior Amric Fields, who missed 16 games due to a knee injury last season, will help. Trent Johnson started three freshmen last season and will bring in Pitt transfer Trey Zeigler, so it figures that the Horned Frogs will win some Big 12 games. Keep in mind that TCU finished last in both offensive and defensive efficiency in league play so even substantial improvement will likely mean just being more competitive in losses as opposed to threatening the .500 mark. It's also worth noting that TCU will have the handicap of playing its home games in an off-campus gym while Daniel-Meyer Coliseum undergoes renovations.

The Big 12 will again feature solid depth this season, but it may not generate the buzz it did last season. As usual, Kansas is the team most likely to make a deep tournament run. It's actually been 10 years since a non-Kansas team has represented the conference in the Final Four, and this season could be more about the quantity of teams getting bids than how many make a deep tournament run. .

Offline Winters

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Re: :angry:
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2014, 11:37:03 AM »
 :curse:
Best #heel and/or #babyface on this blogsite



If it were up to me, Wintz would be on a fan scholarship, full ride.

Offline renocat

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2014, 11:50:52 AM »
Enough said!!  Weber the MAN!

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Offline Tobias

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2014, 11:53:54 AM »
reno you kinky weasel! :lol:

Offline Panjandrum

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2014, 01:16:40 PM »
It's hard for me to take any first-team list seriously if it excludes Staten.

Offline CHONGS

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2014, 01:35:42 PM »
I just remembered we are on a four game losing streak :frown:.  We've gone .500 over the last 20 games and .400 in the last 10....

Offline CHONGS

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2014, 01:39:30 PM »
worst losing streak since 2009 :cry:

Offline Pete

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #8 on: October 24, 2014, 01:42:40 PM »
Pomeroy just makes stuff up.  He is a compulsive liar. 

Offline Skipper44

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #9 on: October 24, 2014, 01:47:01 PM »
It's hard for me to take any first-team list seriously if it excludes Staten.
the author even recognizes Staten as a first teamer last year in the piece, I expect more from Ken and hope this isn't another case of the WWL ruining a good thing

Offline Mr Bread

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #10 on: October 24, 2014, 02:59:57 PM »
Does anybody's friend have the big 10 one?  They should post it here. 
My prescience is fully engorged.  It throbs with righteous accuracy.  I am sated.

Offline jtksu

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #11 on: October 24, 2014, 03:03:52 PM »
I think we're going to be better this year than last.   I'd be okay with a Sweet 16.  Elite 8 would make my dick hard.

Offline steve dave

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #12 on: October 24, 2014, 03:26:59 PM »
that analysis was so terrible the second I read it I got diarhea and barfed up my lunch at the same time

Offline Benja

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2014, 03:31:09 PM »
I honestly think we'll be above average to pretty good. Not that I know crap about crap.

Offline EMAWzified

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #14 on: October 24, 2014, 06:15:16 PM »
I kind of compare it to 2010 when nobody but a few Cats fans thought we'd be good.

Offline Kat Kid

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #15 on: October 24, 2014, 07:30:22 PM »
It seems like Gasaway wrote all of that and Pomeroy is maybe under the weather?

Offline renocat

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #16 on: October 24, 2014, 11:18:48 PM »
The B in Big 12 will stand for battles.  There will be a lot of close games that come down to the last few minutes.  No other team is as well equipped to win this period of the game than us.

Offline jtksu

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #17 on: October 25, 2014, 02:45:00 AM »
The B in Big 12 will stand for battles.  There will be a lot of close games that come down to the last few minutes.  No other team is as well equipped to win this period of the game than us.

KU has been pretty good at winning almost all of the time.

Offline renocat

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #18 on: October 25, 2014, 10:31:25 PM »
Who will be KUs go to guy?   We have several - Foster, Edwards, Gip, Wes and Nigel.  Hooterville Bill's prized chickens will lay some whopper eggs this year!  Show  chickens ain't for nothing except Wildcat stew.

Offline CNS

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #19 on: October 25, 2014, 10:35:32 PM »
Wildcat stew sounds like it would be bad for us(the Wildcats).

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Offline bubbles4ksu

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #20 on: October 25, 2014, 10:38:26 PM »
I hope sys doesn't come back for the open practice next week, he will be very disappointed.

Offline Spracne

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #21 on: October 25, 2014, 11:09:58 PM »
Who will be KUs go to guy?   We have several - Foster, Edwards, Gip, Wes and Nigel.  Hooterville Bill's prized chickens will lay some whopper eggs this year!  Show  chickens ain't for nothing except Wildcat stew.
Don't worry about it. God and Reagan's hallowed specter will provide, that's what I believe, at least.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2014, 11:26:23 PM by Spracne »

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #22 on: October 26, 2014, 01:10:27 AM »
didnt read a word of the article but i assume its something bad about ours bros to the east.  sad.   :frown:

Offline Winters

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Re: :frown:
« Reply #23 on: October 27, 2014, 11:58:28 AM »
I kind of compare it to 2010 when nobody but a few Cats fans thought we'd be good.
I was one of the said genius cat fans.
Best #heel and/or #babyface on this blogsite



If it were up to me, Wintz would be on a fan scholarship, full ride.